Just How Fire Safe Is Your Home?

Fire! The word has so many connotations and it can mean so many things to so many people. It can mean the fierce determination within us to achieve in our careers and our personal lives or it can mean that brash and slightly abrasive personality that we find strangely compelling in others. It can even mean that we have a particularly bad case of indigestion! The point is that it has taken up such a multifaceted role in our popular lexicon that we’ve become blase about the threat it can represent to our homes and our health. Fire is a serious danger which can rob us of our very lives, yet we’ve become so inured to using it safely that we’ve forgotten about the risks. We consider our smoke alarms an inconvenience if they go off while we’re cooking bacon for breakfast yet we forget that that very same annoying wail can save our lives.

Whether you make adequate provision for it or not, fire is a risk in any home and it’s important to have the infrastructure in place to deal with it if it should strike. Here are some tips to help make sure that your home is as fire safe as it can be…

Check Your Smoke Alarms Regularly

It is a legal requirement for every rental home to have a smoke alarm fitted as well as a carbon monoxide alarm to protect you from the silent killer against which so many UK homes are hopelessly unprepared for. If you rent a home that does not have one, your landlord is legally obliged to supply one, so get onto them about it. It may save your life. If you own your own property, it goes without saying that you should have one too. Of course, it’s not enough just to have one, you have to know that they work. Thus, you should check your smoke alarm at a regular point every single month. It takes just a few seconds and could mean the difference between life and death.

Choose The Right Fire Extinguisher And Get It Serviced

You likely see fire extinguishers all the time at work, and you may well see them in the communal areas in your apartment building, too. While we tend to associate them with office use, they can be every bit as useful in the home. Just make sure that you choose the right kind for the inherent risks of the home. Be sure to have it serviced annually by a company like AEL Fire Extinguisher Servicing. A water-based extinguisher is useful for the living room (especially if you’re a smoker) but should never be used for chip pan fires. Check out this guide to finding the right fire extinguisher for your home.

Know What To Do If The Worst Should Happen

While a fire that’s beyond your ability to extinguish is an unlikely prospect, it pays to be prepared for it. Make sure that you and your family know what to do in the event of a fire. Make sure that you know where your fire assembly point is if you live in an apartment building, or assign one if you live in a house. Ensure that your family knows how to exit the building properly, keeping their noses and mouths covered and ducking low.

It’s all quick and easy to implement but so very important! This is a collaborated post. Please do pop and check your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms whilst it’s fresh in your mind. Thanks for reading.